For years there is something fishy about the Chiquita bananas. Workers in Latin-America toil long days for low wages on the banana-plantations. Meanwhile they breath dangerous pesticides that are scattered over the fields to protect the bananas against mycosis and other diseases.

In Honduras the situation is extra poignant. The hurricane Mitch that lashed the country in 1998, destroyed all Chiquita-plantations.

The greater part of these plantations is still closed down. The American company makes little haste with restarting the operations. This seems to be caused particulary by economic reasons. Photographer Piet den Blanken: "Hondurese workers earn an averige five dollars a day. In Ecuador they work for one dollar a day. That's why Chiquita rather invests in that kind of countries."

The difference in wages is caused by the role of the unions in Honduras. They are much better organised than in the neighbouring countries.

That Chiquita is taking its hands off from Honduras, is disastrous for the thousands of workers who have patiently been waiting for the restoration of the plantations. To stay alive some of them now grow their own crops, like vegetables and mais, on the soil that was destroyed by Mitch.

Chiquita is also under fire because the use of heavy pesticides on the plantations. The workers often know very little about these substances and go into the fields without any protection.

Click here, or on the picture above to see the photo-report Den Blanken made of the situation on the Chiquita plantations in Honduras.